14
Wednesday,June30,2021
Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
SPORTS
Redmond ends Eagle boys basketball season;
large senior group leaves its mark on program
Petshow
■ By For Joe
Columbia Gorge News
River, 59-58, in an IMC game
June 15 and 54-50 on June 1.
“I am very proud of what
Hood River Valley’s boys
we were able to accomplish
basketball season ended
June 23 with a playoff loss at with the hand we were dealt
this year,” Dirks said. “There
Redmond, but the imprint
this year’s senior players left are always areas where we
can improve, but we had a
on the program dates back
group of guys who were all
three prior seasons.
Coach Christopher Dirks is in on what we wanted to do,
hoping that imprint extends and as a coach I can’t ask for
too much more.”
into the future, as well.
“This group of seniors real-
The Eagles fell for the third
time this season by single
ly helped send this program
digits to Redmond, the most in the right direction,” Dirks
recent loss coming in the
said. “Some of them have
Intermountain Conference
been on varsity since their
semifinals. HRV entered the freshmen year and others
game coming off a 76-46
since their sophomore year.
home win over Pendleton
In that time, we put together
in the June 21 first round. A
three winning seasons in a
slow start against Redmond
row. I don’t know the last
enabled the host Panthers
time that has happened for
to build an early lead which
HRV boys basketball, but I
it essentially maintained the think it has been a while.”
rest of the game, winning
The Eagles went 0-23 two
58-49.
years before Dirks took over
“They had our number
the program in the 2015-16
this year, so hats off to
season. HRV was 14-7 in
them,” Dirks said of the 12-3 2018-19, 12-10 in 2019-20,
Panthers, who lost to unbeat- and 9-5 this shortened, de-
layed COVID season.
en Crook County in Friday’s
The Eagles huddle up one last time after defeating the Pendleton Buckaroos 76-46, before heading
Seniors Ian Searcy,
championship. “The guys did
Sebastian Zeman, Zac Wells, against No. 2 seed Redmond.
what we asked them to do
but we took a little too long to Davis Yates, Jack Siekkinen,
for the future of this program, have been the favorites to win marking the first time HRV
Michael Goodman, and
settle in and get going. They
played in the boys basketball
games and expected it from
and I know the younger
Emilio Castaneda each
got us in the first quarter,
postseason since 1994.
and we played basically even played roles in changing the guys have learned a lot from ourselves.”
“Over the past three
The Eagles qualified for
them,” Dirks said. “It has
face of Eagle basketball.
from then on.”
seasons we are getting close
the state playoffs in 2019,
been a long time since we
“The seniors set the tone
Redmond defeated Hood
SWC GBX AT STATE
to who we want to be,” Dirks
said. “I appreciate all of the
time and energy they all put
in.”
HRV GBX WRAPUP
South Wasco girls take fourth
place at state tourney
Weber
■ By For Mike
Columbia Gorge News
The South Wasco County
girls basketball team enjoyed
its most successful season
in 20 years by taking fourth
place in the Oregon Class
1A Community Bank/
Steens/Baker County State
Tournament June 21-24
at Baker High School and
Powder Valley High.
South Wasco, guided by
fourth-year coach Carly
Johnson, won 60-58 over
Trinity Lutheran Saints to
earn the fourth-place trophy
June 24 at Baker High School.
It marked the Lady Redsides’
highest state tournament
finish since 2001, when they
won the state title.
“For our seniors this was
a great way to conclude our
season and it was so exciting
for them,” said Johnson. “I’ve
coached them since they
were in eighth grade, so this
was a great experience for
them. After four years, all our
hard work finally paid off. We
all cried our eyes out in the
locker room after the game
because we were so emotion-
al and so happy with the way
our season ended. It was a
wonderful experience for the
whole team.”
The Redsides won three of
four games in the 16-team
tournament, including a 52-
48 win over the No. 8 seeded
North Douglas Warriors in
the first round.
“The girls played awesome
in the first game, and it was
such a relief to know that
they could play so well after
making the long drive out
there,” said Johnson. “It was
a great way to start off the
tournament and just being
able to stay in the winners
bracket was just awesome
too, because we clinched a
spot in the Baker eight-team
quarterfinals.”
Senior Destiny Mora-
Lopez scored 23 points,
grabbed 10 rebounds and
had two blocked shots to
help lead the Redsides.
Senior Jade McCoy had 14
to the IMC Tournament semifinal
Noah Noteboom photo
The Wasco County girls basketball team poses with their
trophy after taking fourth place n the Oregon Class 1A
Community Bank/Steens/Baker County State Tournament.
Mike Weber photo
points, five rebounds and
three assists and junior Kylie
Iverson had 11 points and
four rebounds.
South Wasco lost 65-26
in the June 22 quarterfinals
versus the eventual state
champion and No. 1 seeded
Crane Mustangs (13-0). The
High Desert League cham-
pions won their second con-
secutive title with a 75-54 win
over the Country Christian
Cougars June 24.
“We played awful against
Crane, but they were the only
team we lost to, and they
won the championship,” said
Johnson. “We’ve played them
several times over the last
few years. Obviously, they’re
a great team, they played
very well, but we just made
too many mistakes and that’s
something that we normally
don’t do. They’re a fantastic
team and we just didn’t play
very well.”
The Redsides shot 17
percent from the field and
committed 28 turnovers. The
26 points were fewest for
South Wasco in a game this
season. Mora-Lopez led the
Redsides with 15 points and
six rebounds.
South Wasco bounced
back with a 64-44 win over
the No. 5 seed Nixyaawii
Golden Eagles June 23. The
Redsides led from the entire
game and the 64 points were
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the most they scored in any
game. Mora-Lopez had a
career high 24 of those points
and added 20 rebounds
and two blocks. Jade McCoy
had 17 points and seven
rebounds.
“The Nixyaawii game was
my absolutely favorite game
of the tournament,” said
Johnson. “My girls were very
fired up before the game and
it was really an intense game
too. We had lots of fouls and
it was a pretty rough and
physical game and we got
kind of frustrated at times.
We battled through it though
and we shot the lights out of-
fensively and we just played
a really great game against
the No. 5 ranked team in the
tournament.”
The players had what they
called a good luck charm,
which was a little squeeze toy
spirit pig that they used often
to make a squeaking noise.
Johnson said it always made
them happy to have it and
helped provide them with an
upbeat and positive attitude
throughout the four-day
tournament.
In last Thursday’s fourth-
place contest versus No.
11 seed Trinity Lutheran,
South Wasco jumped in front
16-6 after the first quarter
and led 23-15 at halftime.
The Redsides’ momentum
continued in the third as
they extended the margin
to 46-29 after three quar-
ters. The Saints fought back,
outscoring the Redsides
29-14 in the fourth to trim
the margin to two at the end.
Iverson scored a career-high
20 and had eight rebounds
and Miles scored 14 and
had four assists. “All the girls
seemed to be really inspired
to play an outstanding game
and that’s exactly what they
did,” said Johnson. “In the
last minute, we were up by 10
points and then number 42
(Eli Kent) just went off and
she was able to score some
quick baskets and then our
lead was down to only two
points. Luckily, we were able
to hold them off.”
The senior duo of Mora-
Lopez and Jade McCoy
played the final game of their
South Wasco High School ca-
reers. Mora-Lopez scored 10
points and had 15 rebounds
and five blocks. Mora-Lopez
was selected by coaches to
the all-tourney second team.
Jade McCoy had 12 points,
eight rebounds, three steals
and three assists. Jade’s sister
Sadie had four points and a
team-high five assists. Kent
scored 42 of her team’s 58
points for Trinity.
Mora-Lopez will contin-
ue her basketball career in
college, as she received an
athletic scholarship to attend
Central Maine Community
College.
HRV girls
look to future
Petshow
■ By For Joe
Columbia Groge News
Inconsistency is typical of
younger teams; HRV’s varsi-
ty roster included one senior,
Small victories, not in the Molly Routson, who missed
most of the first half of the
win-loss column, should
schedule because of injuries
pay future dividends for
and softball commitments.
the Hood River Valley girls
Routson will play softball
basketball team.
next season at Mt. Hood
HRV was winless this
Community College.
COVID-extended — and
“Our lone senior this year
shortened — season through
was Molly Routson. She
13 games. But Coach Steve
was a two-year starter for
Noteboom knew going in
HRV. She did not always fill
that it would be a learning
up the stat sheet, but she
experience for his young
was our best defender and
team.
was a physical, competitive
“The girls have shown a
lot of progress and the future player,” Noteboom said. “We
looks promising,” Noteboom will miss her leadership and
positive attitude.”
said.
Five freshmen played
The Eagles’ season ended
on the varsity, including
in the first round of the
the team’s leading scorer,
Intermountain Conference
Marina Castaneda, who
playoffs June 21 when they
scored 20 points against
lost 55-46 at Redmond. It
Redmond in the season
was third meeting between
finale. “Marina Castaneda
the two teams and the
continued to be our biggest
score progression (at least
scoring threat and much of
between the first and then
the second and third games) our offense went through
her,” Noteboom said. “She
exemplified some of the
promising future Noteboom had a season average of 14.7
referred to. Redmond easily points per game.”
Castaneda was selected by
handled HRV the first game
the conference’s coaches to
June 1, 52-27, but the next
two contests were competi- second-team all-league and
figures prominently in HRV’s
tive until late.
future.
“We played a more
Ridgeview defeated
consistent game and did
Redmond in the semifinals,
not have the huge letdown
68-24, and won the IMC
that we had in many of our
championship game, 51-29,
games early in the season,”
over Pendleton.
Noteboom explained of the
latter two contests, decided
by single digits.
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